Pets and other domesticated animals often must be washed in order to be properly groomed. Washing always presents problems with messy splashing and water disposal. If the animal is small enough, it maybe washed in a tub with shampoo and water, or hosed down in a suitable room indoors, or else outside where water and splashing will not be a major problem. Larger domesticated animals, such as horses, may be washed indoors or outdoors, but obviously take more time, effort, and water, than smaller animals. Sometimes washing an animal outdoors creates undesirable muddy conditions as excess water runs off the animal or when a hose is turned away from the animal while shampoo is being applied. Washing an animal indoors is often messy since there may be splashing from running water, from the animal shaking, or generally from spray while rubbing the animal with hands or brushes. Running water must flow into a sink or down a floor drain.
Traditional animal washing typically consumes large volumes of water. This can prove costly, particularly when heated water is used, or wasteful, particularly in times of water shortages. In terms of time expended and water usage, traditional animal washing is less than completely efficient. Particularly in commercial animal washing operations, such inefficiencies can be very costly.
Another problem with cleaning animals is the effort required to work shampoo into the fur or coat of the animal. It often takes a good deal of finger action in order to work shampoo deep into the fur of the animal next to the skin. This is difficult for persons with medical conditions of the hands, such as arthritis. It is also more difficult for anyone to accomplish with a single hand, while the other hand holds the animal steady. A person with a physical handicap which restricts the use of one hand, may find it extremely difficult to both keep an animal in a fixed position and massage shampoo into its fur at the same time.
In addition, it is important not to leave the shampoo on an animal""s skin or in its fur for an excessive time period since this can cause irritation. Some animals are particularly sensitive to shampoos so the shampoo must be removed completely or not used at all.
Moreover, with traditional animal washing methods, applying treatments to an animal, such as natural or chemical topical medicines, flea control chemicals, skin medicines, or medicinal cleansers, can prove difficult and time consuming. It may take considerable effort to work such compounds into the animal""s fur or coat and to have them penetrate to the skin. Then, if they must be removed, a great deal of hosing and brushing may be required to eliminate them.
Accordingly, it is desirable to have a means to wash an animal which is effective and efficient, causes a minimum of mess, can be operated with one hand, and removes shampoo and wash water. It is desirable to have a device which may be employed for domestic or commercial animal washing.
A device has been created which overcomes the above-listed problems with the prior art.
In a major aspect of the invention, a grooming animal device comprises pressurized fluid dispensing means and fluid removal means such that pressurized fluid may be directed into and under the hair or fur of an animal and be immediately removed.
In further aspects of the invention:
(a) the fluid removal means comprises suction means;
(b) the animal grooming device further comprises a washing head which comprises a connector to a source of pressurized fluid, a valve to control the flow of pressurized fluid, at least one fluid dispensing nozzle adapted to direct the pressurized fluid into and under the hair or fur of an animal, and a fluid removal duct connected to the suction means;
(c) trigger means to selectively open and close the valve;
(d) the fluid removal duct comprises a narrow opening to increase the pressure differential across the opening such that fluid is quickly and efficiently removed;
(e) the device comprises at least three fluid dispensing nozzles;
(f) the nozzle or nozzles comprises a narrow tube to maximize the pressure of the fluid as it is injected into and under the hair or fur of the animal, and to permit the nozzle or nozzles to be inserted under the hair or fur of the animal adjacent the skin of the animal;
(g) the pressurized fluid comprises water and natural or chemical additives;
(h) the additives comprise natural or chemical topical medicines, flea control chemicals, skin medicines, or medicinal cleansers.
Other aspects of the invention which overcome problems in the prior art will become apparent from the following description.